Praxair's Buffalo, N.Y., plant damaged by explosion

No workers injured; total cost of damage unclear

DANBURY -- An explosion rocked Praxair's research and development complex near Buffalo early Thursday morning, causing extensive damage to at least two buildings on the site.

Emergency officials said they first got the call around midnight, and the first officer at the scene saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the building. Praxair, a Fortune 250 company based in Danbury, is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America.

Capt. Joseph Carosi, a spokesman for the Town of Tonawanda, where the complex is located, said officials have given a preliminary estimate of at least $250,000 in damage as a result of the blaze, which took several hours and fire crews from throughout the region to get under control.

Carosi said investigators were still on scene Thursday afternoon attempting to determine the cause of the explosion. He added that officials with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were notified of the incident. It was unclear, however, if they responded to the scene.

While no employees were injured as a result of the explosion -- the buildings weren't occupied at the time -- at least 14 firefighters were evaluated at the scene for potential injuries including one firefighter who was transported to an area hospital with a broken shoulder, Carosi said.

Sue Nuemann, the vice president of communications for the company, said they were still estimating the total damage and couldn't confirm estimates provided by authorities at this time.

She added that about 75 employees were displaced because of the explosion. "However, they are either working from home or have found a conference room or office space in another one of our buildings there," she said. "We have not yet determined the total of damages."

Nuemann noted that damage to both structures were "significant." She declined to comment on what type of activities were held in the affected buildings, other than research and development, or how the incident could impact the company's operations.